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These kind of regulations is just another form of protectionism. Is any make the life of Europeans easier? I don’t think so. It did kill any risks of having a

These kind of regulations is just another form of protectionism. Is any make the life of Europeans easier? I don’t think so. It did kill any risks of having a real EU startup ecosystem despite being the first economy zone in the world.

NeedMoreTea 8y ago
Protectionism? AMD reported the Intel case, Sun and Novell the Media player one. Philips are from the Netherlands. Ireland were judged to be providing illegal state aid. You might not like anti-trust laws but most places have them in some form or another, US included. They should probably be invoked rather more than they are. I don't see how any of that relates to the startup scene. European VC isn't the same as SV. Europe has multiple countries and languages so is far harder to grow with the ease you might in the US.
jopsen 8y ago
All these rulings are applications of laws, they apply equally to all. This is not protectionism. The EU is all about free and fair trade. In fact the illegal tax schemes the EU have been fighting is very much a form of protectionism. One country may NOT give favorable tax incentives inorder to protect investments coming in.
- throwaway37585 8y ago
  You don’t seem to know what the word “protectionism” means. Tax incentives are not protectionism.
  - jopsen 8y ago
    How is unfair tax incentives different from direct subsidies?
    - throwaway37585 8y ago
      1. Unfair according to whom? You're presenting your opinion as if it were fact. 2. To put it bluntly, the fact that you equate tax incentives with direct subsidies suggests you don't understand economics. https://mises.org/library/no-tax-breaks-are-not-subsidies https://mises.org/library/no-tax-breaks-are-not-subsidies
      - jopsen 8y ago
        1) Fair point.. In the EU we have laws against using tax incentives to lure companies to specific countries or cities. Unlike the US where Amazon is currently picking the location it's next headquarters based on what tax incentives Amazon can get. This kind of race to the bottom is not permitted. Yet, certain EU countries have been finding ways around it to attract/retrain specific business.. At least that's my impression.
- timrichard 8y ago
  Like the extremely favourable tax incentive given to Amazon by the EU President, back when he was Prime Minister of Luxembourg? [1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/10/juncker-amazon-luxembourg-eased-tax-expert-comfort https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/10/juncker-amazon...
addicted 8y ago
I’m sure the startup scene would be much more vibrant in a world dominated by Microsoft which considered Linux a cancer and tried its hardest to have its use made illegal.
- hartator 8y ago
  This time is over. Windows comes literally with Ubuntu nowadays via Bash for Windows.
  - blub 8y ago
    I'm not sure why you failed to get the parent's point but here it is again: Windows comes with Ubuntu today because it's no longer a monopoly, which was in a large part enabled by the various anti-trust decisions against it. Had Microsoft not been punished, there would likely be no Ubuntu. This is happening again with Google & Android which have extinguished all mobile OSes except iOS. Names and times change, but the behaviour stays the same.
tooltalk 8y ago
Welcome to the real world. This sort of gov't/regulatory actions, or bias, against foreign companies is nothing new and manifest in different shapes and colors. Do you remember when the Obama administration reversed a foreign company's win (Samsung) at ITC against a domestic company (Apple) in the name of "public interest." I fully supported Obama's decision to do so to protect domestic companies against foreign ones. The EU likewise has every right to trouble anyone who doesn't comply with their rules or suck up to their liking. Now in all seriousness, I don't think there are too many direct competitors to Google in EU who would benefit from this "protectionism." Except for maybe Opera? Like others have pointed out, most of these anti-trust investigation are instigated by their competitors, not by zealous nationalists or protectionists.

NeedMoreTea 8y ago

Protectionism? AMD reported the Intel case, Sun and Novell the Media player one. Philips are from the Netherlands. Ireland were judged to be providing illegal state aid. You might not like anti-trust laws but most places have them in some form or another, US included. They should probably be invoked rather more than they are. I don't see how any of that relates to the startup scene. European VC isn't the same as SV. Europe has multiple countries and languages so is far harder to grow with the ease you might in the US.

jopsen 8y ago

All these rulings are applications of laws, they apply equally to all. This is not protectionism. The EU is all about free and fair trade. In fact the illegal tax schemes the EU have been fighting is very much a form of protectionism. One country may NOT give favorable tax incentives inorder to protect investments coming in.

throwaway37585 8y ago
You don’t seem to know what the word “protectionism” means. Tax incentives are not protectionism.
- jopsen 8y ago
  How is unfair tax incentives different from direct subsidies?
  - throwaway37585 8y ago
    1. Unfair according to whom? You're presenting your opinion as if it were fact. 2. To put it bluntly, the fact that you equate tax incentives with direct subsidies suggests you don't understand economics. https://mises.org/library/no-tax-breaks-are-not-subsidies https://mises.org/library/no-tax-breaks-are-not-subsidies
    - jopsen 8y ago
      1) Fair point.. In the EU we have laws against using tax incentives to lure companies to specific countries or cities. Unlike the US where Amazon is currently picking the location it's next headquarters based on what tax incentives Amazon can get. This kind of race to the bottom is not permitted. Yet, certain EU countries have been finding ways around it to attract/retrain specific business.. At least that's my impression.
timrichard 8y ago
Like the extremely favourable tax incentive given to Amazon by the EU President, back when he was Prime Minister of Luxembourg? [1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/10/juncker-amazon-luxembourg-eased-tax-expert-comfort https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/10/juncker-amazon...

addicted 8y ago

I’m sure the startup scene would be much more vibrant in a world dominated by Microsoft which considered Linux a cancer and tried its hardest to have its use made illegal.

hartator 8y ago
This time is over. Windows comes literally with Ubuntu nowadays via Bash for Windows.
- blub 8y ago
  I'm not sure why you failed to get the parent's point but here it is again: Windows comes with Ubuntu today because it's no longer a monopoly, which was in a large part enabled by the various anti-trust decisions against it. Had Microsoft not been punished, there would likely be no Ubuntu. This is happening again with Google & Android which have extinguished all mobile OSes except iOS. Names and times change, but the behaviour stays the same.

tooltalk 8y ago

Welcome to the real world. This sort of gov't/regulatory actions, or bias, against foreign companies is nothing new and manifest in different shapes and colors. Do you remember when the Obama administration reversed a foreign company's win (Samsung) at ITC against a domestic company (Apple) in the name of "public interest." I fully supported Obama's decision to do so to protect domestic companies against foreign ones. The EU likewise has every right to trouble anyone who doesn't comply with their rules or suck up to their liking. Now in all seriousness, I don't think there are too many direct competitors to Google in EU who would benefit from this "protectionism." Except for maybe Opera? Like others have pointed out, most of these anti-trust investigation are instigated by their competitors, not by zealous nationalists or protectionists.